Playing Hard to Get
by EtherealDeity
Summary: Back when Tsuna was still widely known as 'Dame-Tsuna,' someone told him to be confident and to love and embrace himself relentlessly. Years later, Tsuna still follows that advice wholeheartedly and thanks to it has since escaped his childhood nickname and reputation. However, when someone takes an interest in him, can Tsuna let them love him? And who gave him that advice anyway?
1. Chapter 1

Hey everyone! I am back with a new story :). I hope you like it and make sure you favorite, follow, and leave a review. I also want to mention that Tsuna is smart(er) in this story, but not a genius or anything. Enjoy!

* * *

 _*Credit for the cover image belongs to **Masyu Bonn** on Pixiv*_

* * *

School had just let out in Namimori for the day. Students, eager to leave, flooded out of schools everywhere. Some were excited to go home and rest, while others had made plans to hang out with friends. Two boys exited Namimori High School and began walking home together, speaking quietly among themselves.

"Honestly, I'm free any day...except Tuesday- that's when I help Haru with her fashion club."

"No I wouldn't want to trouble you. I have baseball practice everyday after school anyways!"

The first one to speak shook his head lightly. His tall brown hair shook with him, dancing a bit with the breeze. Tsuna, the boy, glanced up at his tall friend, Yamamoto Takeshi. "You won't be able to play baseball for much longer if your grades don't improve." That seemed to reach Takeshi, as he stopped walking with his foot in mid-air.

"What do you mean?!" Takeshi turned to face Tsuna so he could grab him by his shoulders in panic. "Don't play with my emotions like that Tsuna!" Takeshi shook the smaller boy violently and Tsuna could feel his lunch churning in his stomach. He broke free of the death-like grip.

"Didn't you know? If an athlete's grades are bad enough, they can be kicked off the team..." Tsuna muttered as he continued his journey home. He didn't want to frighten Takeshi with hypothetical situations, but if that's what it took to convince him to change, so be it.

"I...need help." Takeshi sighed deeply and covered his face with his hands.

"Well," Tsuna attempted to comfort his friend. "Admitting defeat is the first step on the road to victory."

"Hey that's pretty neat!" Takeshi said, while slinging a friendly arm around Tsuna's shoulders and pulling him closer. "Where'd you get that from?"

"..."

"That's the quote we're supposed to analyze for homework."

"..."

"A-Ah." Takeshi mumbled.

* * *

"...and I advise that you begin to get more involved in your community. Excuse me, but being known as the "hottest" boy in town isn't exactly what colleges and universities are looking for. Yes, your grades are beyond qualified but, Renato, you really need to give institutions another reason to look your way." A woman holding a clipboard of papers, rapidly flipping through them, said.

The boy she gave the advice to didn't seem to have listened, but she'd done her job in giving it anyways. She spoke up once more.

"Perhaps babysitting your neighbor's children, or- oh I don't know, maybe tutoring underclassmen. There are many options, and I'm sure one of them suits you." She finished with a sigh, as she skimmed through papers about other students she had to give the same speech to. The boy still stood there, with disinterest clear on his face.

"I'm don-"

The boy turned around to make his exit, not bothering to let the woman finish her sentence. He knew her advice was relevant, but that didn't mean he wanted to hear her say it. When he'd walked several feet from the room, he heard the door he'd shut fling back open.

"Renato, you! Have some respect!" And the door slammed close once more, except it stayed that way.

"Getting chewed out again?" Another boy's voice appeared too close for comfort to Renato. "Must've been Ms. Nakamura, the only one who insists on calling you by your given name, _Renato-chan_ -" Renato's hand reached for the boy's throat and grabbed it harshly, stopping the teasing quickly. "Alright! Alright!" The boy, Colonello, barely made out. "I'm sorry Reborn, I'm sorry!"

Reborn loosened his grip, then let go entirely, smirking. "You'd better be." He wiped the hand that'd been around his brother's neck on his thigh. "Remind me again why she doesn't incessantly bother you?" Reborn continued his stride, heading for the exit of the school building. Ms. Nakamura had asked to see him after school and threatened to call home if he didn't come. Reborn chose his battles wisely.

Colonello tagged along. "Because she doesn't hate me." Reborn glared weakly, not accepting his answer. "What I meant to say was- I'm already involved in a few things: Baseball, shooting club, and occasionally the drama club."

"Tch. Isn't waking up early to come here late good enough? It worked until now." Reborn seemed to seriously contemplate why his strategy wasn't working anymore.

"I don't think so man, but hey! I've got to get to shooting club- I made a promise with Lal that I wouldn't be more than 5 minutes late and I've already broken it." Colonello slapped Reborn on the back in a friendly manner before jogging off down another hallway.

"He sure has a lot of energy for an air-head..." Reborn muttered to himself, finally exiting the school. _I wonder when he'll be home?_ Reborn immediately stopped walking. _If I'm waiting for Colonello to come home...I really do need a hobby._

* * *

 _A few weeks later_

* * *

The last bell of the school day rang, signaling the long awaited weekend.

Reborn stood up quickly, an action that was out of character. He typically waited for the classroom to empty out before fully waking up from his nap, er- snapping out of school mode. It didn't go unnoticed.

"Oh? Do you have plans, Reborn?" A friend of Reborn's, Fon, asked. "Or are you going to take up the offer on joining my yoga club?" Fon also stood up.

Reborn rolled his eyes briefly. "The former. I've been tutoring a kid for a while, and yes-" Reborn held up a hand to his friend's gaping mouth. "I'm being paid."

Fon sighed in relief. "Thank goodness, I don't know what I'd do if you were willing acting out of the kindness of your heart...Or whatever is in there."

"Oh the usual: Money, drugs, etcetera, etcetera." Reborn tossed his bag over his shoulder casually and exited the classroom, ignoring the girls squealing over him and Fon shaking his head.

* * *

Reborn approached the sushi restaurant, but opted for a door off to the side instead of the one designed for costumers. This door led to the owner's house, as Reborn knew, and he knocked gently on it. His client, Yamamoto Takeshi, attended a different school than him and its school days ended earlier than Reborn's. He'd be envious but that also meant their school days started earlier too. Reborn waited for an answer, pulling his curly sideburns idly. Growing a bit annoyed, Reborn knocked once more and after checking his phone, saw that Yamamoto got out of school over an hour ago.

 _He should be home._ Reborn thought, but he clearly wasn't. Reborn almost happily walked away, seeing as to how the sessions were paid for in advance. He was almost an earshot away but he heard the door swing open to reveal...Yamamoto's father.

"Mr. Yamamoto, good evening." Reborn walked back over to greet the man.

"Oh, Takeshi's tutor! I'm sorry he's not back home yet, but please come in!" His father practically pulled Reborn into the house. "You can go wait in his room 'til he returns. You remember the way, right? I've got to get back to the shop, so show yourself up there and get comfortable, alright! Thanks!" Yamamoto's father had dominated the conversation, not letting Reborn get a word of protest in. Reluctantly, Reborn did as he was instructed.

"The things I get into..." Reborn mumbled, before resorting to inside thoughts. Mumbling to himself was beneath him after all.

Yamamoto's room wasn't much different than he'd remembered from earlier this week. Posters of famous baseball players all over, textbooks and notebooks containing various subjects, and a few shirts laying about. Reborn took a seat at the desk. They usually worked at the table nearby, but Reborn enjoyed the cushion of the desk chair. Done scanning the room, he skimmed over the desk, but took a double take at a particular item. It was a framed photograph of three people, Yamamoto included. Yamamoto was in the middle with his arms around a boy and girl. Reborn smirked, it seemed important. _I suppose I have blackmail for the next time he's late. Who'd really notice if these two went missing?_ Reborn thought deviously, already planning their demise.

However, he stopped to stare at the male brunette in the photo. He was holding up a peace sign, and giving a lopsided, wavering smile. His hair was reaching up and Reborn thought that was odd, but recalled Verde's hair being quite similar. He stared at the boy for a while, perhaps too long, thinking that he looked familiar.

* * *

Before Reborn knew it, another hour had passed, and he'd already debated if he was going to charge extra. The answer was yes. Thankfully, just when he'd begun debating leaving and tripling the charge, he heard the stairs creaking underneath someone's weight. Reborn straightened his posture in the chair and cleared his throat quietly.

"Do you want me to kick your ass now, or save it for your next session and double that ass-kicking?" Reborn called to the door without turning to face it.

A small voice squeaked out. "E-Eh?"

* * *

 _Moments earlier_

* * *

"Mr. Yamamoto, how are you?" Tsuna called out to the sushi chef as he entered the busy restaurant.

"Oh, Tsuna? Hello there!" Tsuyoshi, Yamamoto's father, looked happy to see him but that expression turned to disappointment. "Oh, I thought Takeshi would be with you..."

Tsuna was surprised, Takeshi should've been here ages ago for his tutoring session. _He'd better not be skipping somewhere._ Tsuna mentally pouted at the thought. "I'll give him a call and see where he is." Tsuna began to rummage through his pockets for his phone.

Tsuyoshi sighed, while giving drinks to a group of customers. "There you are, let me know when you're ready to order." He walked over to Tsuna, placing his hands on his hips. "It's no use, he left it at home today." Tsuyoshi pointed to the device sitting behind the counter.

Tsuna sighed as well, he'd forgotten that fact. "I see...well I suppose I should head out to look for him." Tsuna turned around and was going to begin the search for his best friend, but a hand grabbing his shoulder stopped him.

"No, don't trouble yourself!" Tsuyoshi spun Tsuna around and gave him a friendly clap on the back, pushing him towards the stairs. "Go upstairs and make yourself at home, I'm sure he'll turn up sooner or later."

"Oh, but I-" Tsuna tried to cut in on his own conversation.

"Mr! We're ready!" A group of customers who'd had 3 too many drinks called for Tsuyoshi, who was quick to answer.

"Yes sir!" Tsuyoshi called back and jogged over to the table, causing them to cheer as if they'd already been served the food.

 _I guess I have no choice..._ Tsuna thought as he started up the stairs.

Once up them, Takeshi's room was just to the right. Tsuna reached for the doorknob and opened the door.

"Do you want me to kick your ass now, or save it for your next session and double that ass-kicking?" A deep voice that was _not_ Takeshi or anyone else he knew, called out to, presumably, him.

"E-Eh?" Was all he managed, internally sighing. He thought he had dropped the stuttering and 'eeps' a long time ago.

A man, no- just another boy, sat at the desk chair. He wasn't facing Tsuna, but opted for the window instead. Even from his angle, Tsuna could see that he had a different uniform than his on, so he must go to a different school. In fact...it looked like the uniform boys at Haru's school wear.

The boy turned around, and Tsuna assumed he was surprised that Tsuna wasn't Takeshi- though he didn't show it. With all of this information in mind, Tsuna could only bring himself to say the most highly appropriate statements, so as to make a good first impression on this young man.

"You're not Takeshi."

The boy snorted quietly, almost immediately losing his refined composure. He slumped back in the chair and glared at the smaller boy. "But you must be Captain Obvious. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Ouch. So much for first impressions.

"What I mean to say," Tsuna moved a bit closer and sat on Takeshi's bed, which was adjacent to the desk. "Is that you must be Takeshi's-"

"Tutor." The boy said, cutting him off.

Silence held the room for a moment before Tsuna spoke again, feeling like he had to if the other was going to stare intensely at him anyways.

"What's your name? I'm Sawada Tsunayoshi, Takeshi's best friend." Tsuna asked him, trying to get past, at least, the basic formalities.

He seemed to consider whether or not it was actually worth his time. He decided it was.

"Reborn."

* * *

"Reborn? Oh that's...an interesting name." Sawada Tsunayoshi said awkwardly.

"If you think it's weird why would you address it at all? You asked me for my name and then audaciously criticize it." Reborn couldn't understand why people were so backwards sometimes.

Sawada pouted. "Sorry I was just trying to make conversation...you don't need to be rude." Sawada mumbled that last bit but Reborn heard it anyways.

"I'm not being rude. It would be rude if I pointed out that Tsunayoshi only brings tuna to mind." Reborn snapped. He was irritable, after all, he'd been waiting for quite a while.

Sawada pouted deeply, and Reborn briefly thought he looked cute like that, before dismissing the thought.

The room was silent once more and Reborn was thankful for that. He could hear the hustle and bustle of the restaurant but none of the voices he made out resembled the missing blockhead. Just when Reborn was about to take a nap with his eyes open-

"So what year are you?" The tuna boy asked.

"That's classified." He replied quickly.

"Well what school do you go to? Your uniform isn't Namimori High's..."

"Classified."

"It looks like Midori's."

"You talk a lot for someone so seemingly meek."

Tsunayoshi smiled sheepishly. "Thank yo-"

"That wasn't a compliment." Reborn smirked, while Tsunayoshi's mouth hung ajar in shock. Though Reborn wasn't sure why, he'd been snarky the whole time. The boy wasn't discouraged however, which Reborn quite liked.

"Well how has Takeshi been doing in tutoring?" Tsunayoshi asked.

"Clas-"

"Classified, right? I know, I just wanted to beat you to it." Tsuna smiled in a way that showed his satisfaction with himself.

Reborn smirked. "Oh? Aren't you bold?" Most people outside of his friend group and family couldn't speak to him this long, and even they had their limits.

Tsunayoshi shrugged. "I do my best. Now, where did you say you went to school?"

* * *

Tsuna and Reborn chatted idly as they waited for Yamamoto. Tsuna found out that, yes, Reborn did attend Midori High and that he was a grade above him- a second year while Tsuna was a first year. Tsuna also discovered that Reborn had moved to Japan during middle school and he'd been living in Italy previously. Reborn found out, though he never asked, that Tsuna's father had lived in Italy but he wasn't sure what part.

* * *

"A-And I turn around!" Tsuna tried to make out the story through his laughter. "And say: Takeshi! That's not a baseball, it's a frog!" He erupted in laughter, causing Reborn to snicker even though the story wasn't that funny. Tsuna had been telling him stories about Yamamoto for the past half hour, though he was still yet to show up.

"Haha..." Tsuna wiped a tear from his eye that came from laughing too hard. "You should've been there Reborn, it was hilarious."

"I'm sure." Reborn had eventually moved to the bed, the desk chair not feeling so comfy anymore. "It really gives comedians everywhere a run for their money."

"Gee thanks, that's always been my dream job. Ever since a comedian stole my girlfriend and I swore to get revenge." Tsuna joked with a straight face.

Reborn decided to entertain the idea. "Oh really? What a small world, that's been my goal all along too. I heard the best way to get to the top was to tutor locally."

"Is that so?" Tsuna giggled at Reborn's sarcasm, who was smirking in return. "Lay one on me then." He challenged.

Reborn held his chin between his thumb and index finger, faking deep thought. He had one. "Why did the chicken cross the road?"

Tsuna laughed preemptively. "Ah, a classic. I don't know, why did the chicken cross the road?"

"Because he clucking wanted to."

"..."

"What?"

"...That's actually the worst joke I've ever heard and I used to get bullied. _A lot_." Tsuna admitted.

Reborn faked pain, putting a hand over his heart. "How could you? I trusted you with my best material."

"Shame on you and shame on that joke- if you can even call it that." Tsuna snorted. He was glad Reborn wasn't actually a comedian. Tsuna then registered the beeping of his watch, signalling that another hour had passed.

"Tch, I can't believe I've been waiting for 2 hours to teach that idiot common knowledge." Reborn ruffled his hair, upset that he ever agreed not to wear his fedora to school. Sometimes his head got cold.

"Wow, rude. Didn't I make it worthwhile?" Tsuna huffed, playfully flirting without knowing it.

Reborn rolled his eyes at him. "Obviously...not." He whispered the last piece, just loud enough for Tsuna to hear it.

"Hey!" Tsuna shoved him with both arms. Reborn, however, didn't expect the sudden movement and collapsed under Tsuna's unexpectedly heavy weight.

"Wah!" Tsuna shouted. Both boys fell back on the bed, with Tsuna laying on top of Reborn, who was less than pleased. Tsuna had both hands on Reborn's chest while his legs were straddling his waist, suddenly noticing how muscular he was and maybe just a little...cute?

"Oh, I'm...sorry." Tsuna said slowly, but neither moved. Reborn had really nice eyes, dark but inviting and Tsuna could feel himself starting to blush deeply. Reborn said nothing, which was alright because a different voice spoke for him.

"Tsuna?! Mr. Reborn?!" Yamamoto shouted from the doorway, feeling like he was interrupting an intimate moment.

Tsuna flailed off of Reborn, who calmly sat up, glaring at his late student. Reborn had just been about to commit murder, but Tsuna nearly beat him to it.

"Takeshi!" Tsuna got off the bed and marched over to his friend, a fearsome scolding in tow. "Where on Earth have you been?"

Yamamoto scratched his head carelessly. "Well, do you remember the transfer student in our class?" Now it was Yamamoto's turn to blush.

Tsuna thought for a moment. "Gokudera?"

"Yeah, Haya-chan! A counselor asked me to show him around town and it took longer than expected. Sorry guys." Yamamoto apologized, but it was obvious he didn't regret it. "Ah, and Mr. Reborn, my dad said he'd give you extra for the inconvenience."

Reborn mentally 'tch'ed'. So much for his triple charge. "I'm leaving." He stood up and grabbed his bag while putting his other hand in a pocket lazily.

Tsuna watched him walk out of the door, before turning to Yamamoto once more. "Yeah me too, Takeshi. Let's hang out tomorrow, but I told Mom I'd be home..." Tsuna checked his watch. "Earlier than this."

"Alright," Yamamoto started. "But just know I'm telling Haru everything." He smiled mischievously before pushing Tsuna out of his room and closing the door.

"Eh?!" Tsuna yelled before banging on the door repeatedly. "No! Nothing happened- don't you dare!"

* * *

Reborn walked quietly home. It was already dark and the streets were empty. That made it easier to hear Tsunayoshi jogging to catch up to him.

"He assaults me and then chases after me, I suppose this means I should call the police now." Reborn spoke aloud, pretending to talk to himself.

"Huh? Oh, well you know I've never felt this way about anyone...I can't just let you leave." Tsuna joked, hoping that Reborn would know he was joking.

"Is that right? You and Yamamoto seem pretty close, Tsuna." Reborn casually used the nickname he didn't know the other boy had.

"Yeah that is right, _Mr._ Reborn." Tsuna snorted. "I'm amazed he actually calls you that."

"All you have to do is ask for what you want."

"Then I'd like to ask why you're walking this way? Do you live down this street too?" Tsuna inquired. "Oh wait let me guess-"

"Classified." The two said in unison, with Reborn not ignoring the mocking voice Tsuna used.

"Like hell I sound like that." Reborn criticized. Colonello mocked him much better.

"Yeah you do," Tsuna rolled his eyes. "All deep and burly." Tsuna then laughed at his own observation.

Reborn didn't say much else as they walked home, and neither did Tsuna. The silence wasn't unbearable, so no one attempted to break it. Aside from Tsuna once being spooked by a neighbor's Chihuahua, the walk was rather peaceful. Reborn almost forgot he even had a destination, until he noticed Tsuna wasn't walking anymore. He turned and watched Tsuna unlock the front door of what he presumed to be his house. He didn't expect Tsuna to walk back over to him.

"Well, thanks for walking me home- w-whether you meant to or not." Tsuna said, trying to ignore his stutter.

Reborn shrugged. "What else would I do with my Friday nights?"

"Yeah, yeah...Well, goodnight." Tsuna said quietly. "And it was nice to meet you."

Reborn nodded, implying the same farewell. "Likewise." He waited until Tsuna had safely entered his house before he left.

He'd been several feet away from the house when he heard the brunette shout his name.

"Hey! Reborn, wait!" Tsuna called and ran to catch up to his new acquaintance. "You, you-" He struggled through his panting. "You're smart right?"

"It's all an act, you've discovered my great secr-" Reborn attempted to bring out his inner comedian once more, but Tsuna cut him off.

"Good, then I'd like your help in a project at school. Here-" He pulled a notepad and a pen out of his pocket, and wrote some numbers down. "You don't have to answer now, just let me know by Monday, alright?" He ripped off the piece of paper that he wrote on and handed it to Reborn. "See ya!" Tsuna ran back to his home and Reborn heard the door shut.

He looked down at the paper with messy handwriting: _Sawada Tsunayoshi_ and a corresponding phone number. Reborn smiled as he tucked it into his pocket.

* * *

Alright that is it for this chapter! Thanks for reading and I hope you stick with this story...I'm having fun with it :D.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello! Here's the second installment :D. Thanks for all the great reviews, the favoriting, and the following! I hope you guys are enjoying this story so far (I am!).**

 **FYI: Chapter 1 took place on a Friday, and this begins on the Monday after that same weekend...**

* * *

"Oi, Reborn get up!" A voice yelled through a closed door. "I'm leaving!" The owner of the voice, Colonnello, rushed down the stairs and left through the front door.

Within the door, or room rather, Reborn was just waking up. He sat up in his bed, thinking. _If Colonnello is just now leaving, then classes started, what...15 minutes ago?_ He moved his legs so that they hung over the edge of the bed, and then lifted off of it.

Reborn took his time getting ready- slowly showering, slowly putting on his clothes, and slowly checking himself out in the mirror. _Nice_ , he thought, before he realized that everything was _not_ nice. It was Monday- the day Tsunayoshi had asked him to reply to his offer by.

 _Shit_ , he cursed at himself and reached into his pocket...only to realize that he wasn't wearing the same pair of pants as Friday. Finally coming downstairs, he noticed that his mother was sitting at the table in the kitchen by herself. She was drinking from a mug filled with, presumably, coffee, while her eyes grazed over the local newspaper.

"Hey, Luce, did you do some laundry from the weekend?" Reborn came into the kitchen and got her attention. Luce had never minded that Colonnello and he called her by that name. After adopting them both, she said they were free to call her anything that made them comfortable. Luce looked up at him.

"Oh, yes I did. I haven't folded them yet but it should all be in a basket in the laundry room." She gestured with her mug down a nearby hallway. "And hey...aren't you-" Luce responded, becoming keenly aware of something.

"Late for being late? Yes, and thanks." He gave her a small wave before heading to the laundry room, despite knowing that all his pairs of pants looked the same.

He found them surprisingly quickly and, unfortunately, the tattered remains of the paper with Tsunayoshi's number on it. "Tch." He voiced aloud. The numbers weren't even legible but he knew that was indeed what he'd been looking for. Reborn considered asking Yamamoto later today for Tsuna's number, but he recalled Yamamoto and his father were in Tokyo for some sushi event and he had neither's number. That was precious information after all. If there was even so much as one leak of his phone number to the public, he'd be immediately spammed with 50+ messages and calls every minute. He suppressed a shudder, remembering that last time.

Reborn concluded that he'd have to go to Namimori High and tell Tsuna himself. The thought made him smirk, and he decidedly ignored why. He put the clothes back in the basket neatly, more time to kill after all.

"Reborn, you have five minutes to get out of this house!" He heard Luce yell to him from the kitchen, and knew she meant business. He must be approaching an hour and a half late. Not his latest, but he was only one man.

* * *

 _After school_

* * *

Reborn was on his way to Namimori High, now that school was over for the day. Fon had questioned his early departure, knowing that he wasn't tutoring this week, but Reborn left before Fon could make any conclusions.

He whistled a little tune as he walked through the vaguely familiar neighborhood. _I've been to Namimori High once or twice...or was that Namimori middle?_ Reborn dismissed the thought, knowing it didn't matter much and instead opted to think of a 'game plan.'

 _1- Find Tsunayoshi_

 _2- Acquire Tsunayoshi's phone number_

 _3- Make Tsunayoshi fall for m-_

"..."

He went back to whistling.

* * *

"Whoa...he's so hot!"

"Hey, hey, who's that guy?! Does he go here?"

Reborn kept a straight face through everyone's gawking. He even caught some people running into walls and other students. He sent a smirk to a group of girls and watched it send them over the edge in 'kyaa's' and he swore that one even fainted. Reborn was surprised to see so many students even though classes were over, thinking back to when he once heard that Namimori High had hundreds of clubs. He spotted a girl near the building's entrance who looked like she had some sense about her, chatting with another girl.

Reborn approached them quietly. He knew it would be much faster if he just asked where Tsuna was instead of hunting around for him. "Excuse me." He said to get their attention.

One had orange hair and jumped slightly at the deep voice, having not seen or heard him approach. The other one with long and dark hair simply stared at him with disinterest.

"Where would I find a Sawada Tsunayoshi?" Reborn asked, giving his full name for maximum clarity.

The orange-haired girl smiled awkwardly and avoided eye contact, likely covering up her not knowing the answer. The long haired girl made something that reminded Reborn of a scowl and rolled her eyes before she spoke. "He already went home." And with that she grabbed her friend's hand and pulled her away to continue their conversation elsewhere.

"Well, I've met my female counterpart..." Reborn mumbled to himself, though he intended to think it. But now he had an issue- Tsunayoshi wasn't here. Internally sighing, he turned around and headed for the gate, disappointed that he hadn't found his target yet.

Reborn concluded that he should just head home. He was out of options after all- he didn't have any way to contact Tsunayoshi except in person and the brunet was making that difficult. He eventually came to an intersection at the neighborhood that surrounded Namimori High.

To the left was home, the right- town, and he wasn't sure about straight ahead. Reborn opted to go to town, hoping he could find something to entertain him there. He'd finished all of his homework in class, so he had nothing to do but loiter. Reborn had been tutoring for so long he'd forgotten what he used to do all the time.

 _Oh, that's right- sleep._ He thought.

* * *

Reborn strolled through one of Namimori's many tourist centers, a bustling area with overpriced shops, overpriced eateries, and more advertising than Reborn ever cared to see. He looked around at all the foreigners, thinking that he'd probably look like one himself if it wasn't for his school uniform. He came this way seeking a cafe, or rather a certain someone he knew to work at a cafe in this district. Reborn smirked once he spotted it- a modern cafe with a subtle, pink sign reading 'Maid Latte.' Entering the cafe, he was greeted by employees who looked more than eager to serve him.

"Welcome!" A choir of high pitch voices sang out to him. "Please choose your maid for the day!" A lamented paper was forced into his hands, listing all of the maids that he could choose as a server. Reborn glanced up momentarily, noticing that they were all giving him 'that look.' However, he _much_ preferred the one trying to hide behind the counter.

He gestured to the maid seemingly in charge.

"I'll take Lal." He said with a smirk, and handed the paper back. The maid nodded sadly, after all, she wanted to be his server. The maid took the paper and went behind the counter, alerting Lal of Reborn's decision.

"Gah!" She sounded, louder than she realized. A few moments later, an angry faced Lal arose from her crouched position, gritting her teeth hard enough to break them. She walked, more liked marched, over to the door and begrudgingly bowed. "Please...follow...me..." She spoke out in an angry tone.

Reborn gestured his hand, motioning for her to continue. "Please follow me...?"

A deep red blush took over Lal's face. "Master."

Reborn smirked, he loved to tease.

* * *

"So how much do I have to pay you to not tell Colonnello about this?" Lal asked, as she placed an espresso in front of Reborn.

"Oh Lal," Reborn gave a fake sympathetic face. "I don't think you have that much money." He took a sip of the espresso and regretted it, as it was too hot. "Besides, how can I miss up the chance to help out my only brother?"

"Well your _brother_ is a _bother_. I have no idea why he's latched onto me for all these years." Lal sighed, shaking her head. She sat down at Reborn's table and shot a glare at some maids who looked like they wanted to protest.

Reborn shrugged, attempting to sip from his cup again and finding it now drinkable. "You're too nice to him. I disrespect him, tear down his confidence everyday, and let him know I despise him. He leaves me alone just fine." He casually took another sip from his drink, as if he hadn't just spoken of his cruel tendencies towards Colonnello.

"Maybe I need to take a page from your big book of torture." Lal put her face in her hands, but brought it out to speak clearly. "But seriously, don't say anything about this to Colonnello or anyone for that matter."

Reborn raised an eyebrow, surprised that she was bold enough to order him around. Or at least she thought she was. "Why? The student council president doesn't want to ruin her reputation?"

"...What?" Lal made a confused face. "You know Mammon is the student pres, what are you talking about?"

Reborn almost frowned. "A joke. It was a joke, Lal." Maybe Tsunayoshi was right about his skills in humor.

"...Anyways..." Lal stood up from the booth and dusted off her black and white maid uniform. "I need to get back to work. If you don't order anything else I'll cover the espresso in exchange for you keeping this between us. Deal?" She stuck her right hand out for a handshake, or not. Fortunately, Reborn did agree- after all, he'd just discovered something much more interesting.

* * *

"I didn't think this was your kind of place, but I guess it's not too hard to understand." Reborn snaked around the table, revealing himself as he slid into the booth that had been a few tables from his own. Espresso in hand, of course.

"Eep!" Tsuna yelled at the sudden appearance of the familiar man. A blush washed over his face as he realized what Reborn had said, understanding that he'd been caught. "R-Reborn?!" He cursed his own stutter.

"In the flesh." Reborn calmly sipped his drink, breaking eye contact to look around Tsuna's table. There were piles of dishes on it, some unfinished. He raised a curious eyebrow in question. "Uh..." Tsuna assumed that this was the first time Reborn didn't really know what to say.

"I-it's not-I just-you see I-!" Tsuna tried to form a sentence, but failed ultimately. _Why did he have to show up at a time like this?!_ He thought painfully, feeling his embarrassment show on his face.

Reborn put up one hand, motioning him to stop. "Take a breath, think about what you want to say, and _then_ say it." He advised.

Tsuna swallowed the lump in his throat, then nodded in agreement. He pursed his lips together, before smiling, as he realized what he wanted to say.

"I have a friend who works here and she lets me, or rather, forces me to try all of their experimental dishes. Some are great-" Tsuna gestured to a plate that others would've thought was perfectly clean. "But others are..." Tsuna weakly pointed to a, seemingly, innocent slice of pie that only had one piece taken from it. "...ghastly." Tsuna shuddered at the pie.

"I see..." Reborn glanced at all the dishes, recalling the very short menu he'd ordered from earlier. _I guess they're looking to expand._

"But why are you here? And don't say classified, that joke is over with." Tsuna questioned him.

"Well then, I'm spent." Reborn smirked when Tsuna pouted. "Alright, I'm actually here from HQ. This cafe is a front for big mafia family and I was sent to see how things were running. If it isn't looking too good, I've been told to pull the plug and-" Reborn gestured for Tsuna to lean in over the table so he can whisper. Tsuna happily complied. "Leave no witnesses." Tsuna couldn't help the shudder that ran down his spine, but did his best to ignore it. Reborn's voice sounded even better in a whisper.

"Is that so?" Tsuna decided to play along. "But wouldn't I be a witness too?" He asked, as they both sat back down in their seats.

Reborn seemed to think it over. "I guess so. It's been mediocre knowing you, Tsunayoshi."

"Likewise." Tsuna grinned, enjoying he and Reborn's back and forth.

* * *

Tsuna and Reborn continued to talk for much of the evening, and every time a maid came to complain, Lal would shoo them away. Haru, who Reborn found out was Tsuna's friend who worked at the cafe, also helped them and even invited the two to try more sweets. Reborn revealed that he didn't have a sweet tooth like Tsuna apparently did, so he let Tsuna partake on his own. Although, Reborn did enjoy telling Tsuna to eat certain ones that he noticed had an...interesting aura. Tsuna, of course, hadn't noticed and would promptly choke on the 'interesting' flavor.

* * *

"Reborn! If you can point out the disgusting ones then why not the good ones?!" Tsuna yelled over the table at the smirking upperclassman, his lips painfully red.

"What?" Reborn slouched against the back of the booth and titled his head a bit, curiously. "Mango Potato Chili crumble cake wasn't delicious?" Reborn asked, feigning ignorance.

"Gah..." Tsuna groaned and made a face of disgust. "The chili tasted like Satan's bathwater."

"Fiery and gross?"

"Fiery and gross." Tsuna laughed, happy that Reborn was able to understand what he meant. Reborn, meanwhile, smiled, thinking that he quite loved to see that wide-mouthed laugh before something dawned on him...

"Do you still need me for your project?" Reborn asked, mentally cursing how he became so distracted.

Tsuna's eyes widened, he'd forgotten he'd even asked. "Oh I'm sorry, I already have a different partner." Tsuna scratched the back of his head, thinking of his partner, Gokudera. Takeshi had originally paired up with Gokudera, but forgot he'd be out of town this whole week. Therefore Tsuna and Gokudera were the only ones without partners until the teacher stuck them together. Tsuna didn't mind that much since Gokudera was very smart. "I should've told you earlier." Tsuna frowned at himself.

"It's fine." Reborn said calmly. He felt a little disappointed and he wasn't sure why but he didn't fight the feeling. Tsuna noticed his disappointment, but didn't know why or how to help. Luckily, a voice called out to Tsuna to distract him from the situation.

"Hey, Tsuna! I'm headed out for the night!" Haru alerted him, waving eagerly as she walked out in 'normal' clothes and a bag in her hand.

Tsuna waved back enthusiastically, while Reborn gave a more subtle wave as Tsuna spoke. "Good night! Oh- and thanks for everything!" He yelled back before realizing she alerted him of her leaving as a way of saying they wouldn't be under her protection anymore. Tsuna had also noticed a maid Reborn was friends with, Lal was her name, had silently left hours ago.

"I think that's our clue to leave, huh?" Tsuna said to Reborn, who nodded in agreement and got out of the booth. Tsuna patted his stomach and exhaled. "Ah...I'm so stuffed. I can't even move..." He, believe it or not, didn't have an ounce of regret for downing all of the sweets he was given.

"Here." Reborn extended a hand to Tsuna, intending to help him get out of the booth. Tsuna stared for a moment, confused about the gesture, before realizing Reborn's intentions. With a light blush, he took the hand and felt Reborn tug on him slightly to pull him up.

"Thanks..." Tsuna muttered under his breath, hoping that he wasn't blushing too much- or at all for that matter.

Reborn didn't say anything else as they left the cafe. Tsuna decided not to either, as he was too busy contemplating the reason behind Reborn not letting go of his hand yet. Tsuna's hand sat limply in Reborn's, who didn't seem to care or hadn't noticed. Tsuna was happy that there weren't many people walking around in the neighborhood at this time, so they were left to their own devices.

' _Whatever device this even is...'_ Tsuna thought.

When they came to the street they both knew the other lived on, Reborn spoke up.

"I'll walk you home again." He stated, not asking.

"No!" Tsuna yelled abruptly, before blushing deeply as he realized what he had done. "Um..I mean...I'm going to a friend's house tonight so..." He finished awkwardly, scratching his head. He doubted that Reborn would believe the story he'd just created, but he doubted he'd call him out on it.

"Bullshit, I don't believe you."

Nevermind.

"It's true! Haru is letting me stay over at her house tonight." Tsuna avoided eye contact with Reborn. When he glanced up to meet Reborn's eyes, they seemed to be analyzing him- studying every detail as if he was a new specimen under a microscope. Tsuna shivered.

"Alright, have fun, and use protection." Reborn said flatly, and turned away from the brunet, who appeared surprised from the sudden outburst. Reborn, honestly, was surprised too. He hadn't realized something like that could upset him so much- especially enough to actually express it. However, he'd already said it and was currently waking away so whatever damage there was to do had been done. _Tch._ He thought, listening to Tsuna's fading footsteps as his did the same.

* * *

Reborn unlocked and entered the front door, gently closing it behind himself. "I'm home." He made his presence known to whoever might be wondering.

"Ah, welcome back Reborn." Luce poked her head out of the living room to look at him. "Why so late today?" She questioned.

Reborn glanced at a clock hanging on a nearby wall. "I'm not much later than usual." He didn't mean to brush her off so easily, but he was tired and bothered. Even though that wasn't justification.

"True. But try to check in with me more often, alright?" And Luce went back into the living room, where Reborn could hear the television on. He took off his shoes and went up the stairs, eager to be alone. However, God had other plans for him tonight.

"What's with the long face?" Colonnello asked, although Reborn just barely understood it as he was brushing his teeth. In Reborn's room. Wearing only a towel.

Reborn sighed, wanting to bash his head into the bedroom door he'd just opened. "Should I even bother asking what the hell you're doing?" He walked past Colonnello and put his school bag on a table.

"Obviously- I'm brushing my teeth." Colonnello simply replied, going back into Reborn's personal bathroom to rinse his mouth.

"And why, pray tell, are you doing it in my bathroom?" Reborn ran a stressed hand through his hair and sat on his bed. Colonnello gargled what Reborn was sure was _his_ mouthwash and spit it back out into the sink.

"My sink is clogged and it was gonna throw off my whole routine so I just figured I'd come in here." Colonnello explained.

"My door is locked."

Colonnello snorted. "Not well enough."

"There's three of them."

"And three too few." Colonnello came back out of the bathroom. "But seriously, you don't look like your usual narcissistic self. Did you get stood up?" Colonnello asked him innocently, not realizing he'd hit the jackpot.

Reborn scowled deeply at him, not feeling an obligation to answer his brother's annoying questions.

"Oh my god, you did. You totally did!" Colonnello erupted into laughter, not noticing the increasingly dark aura growing in the room. "I can't fucking believe it!" He was in hysterics. After all, Reborn had never had any shortage of people throwing themselves at him. This was a rare opportunity, and Colonnello was going to milk it to exhaustion.

Suddenly, however, Reborn's foot was in the middle of Colonnello's back, kicking him to the hallway floor. Minus the towel.

"Ah! Reborn, that's my only clean towel- well sort of clean- but give that back!" Colonnello yelled, banging on the door. "Luce! Mom! Don't come up here, Reborn's being a pervert!"

Reborn made a mental note to burn that towel as he laid down on his bed, arms folded behind his head.

"Tch, that tuna has been running me around all day." Reborn grumbled to himself. He felt he could now sympathize with the many who constantly followed him around upon first coming to Namimori. When you're interested in someone, it's hard to stay away.

As Reborn laid down, relaxing, he imagined a memory that he sometimes forgot, but always sat at the back of his mind.

* * *

 _Reborn, Colonnello, and Luce had come to visit Namimori in the summer. Luce had a few more things to get together, such as the boys' schooling, securing her job, and housing. They would be arriving in a few more months and wanted to ensure their new life. The three had gone their separate ways, though Luce thought that Reborn and Colonnello were somewhere together._

 _Reborn opted to ditch him while Colonnello was distracted. They were entering their third year of junior high and Reborn wanted to investigate his new school. It wasn't anything spectacular, and looked like his research said it would. He wanted to go inside but all of the doors and windows were locked since it was summer. Since he was still on his own, Luce and/or Colonnello were yet to contact him, Reborn decided to explore the surrounding area. He came across an empty park, save for one person sitting on the swings._

 _He approached them and noticed the dry dirt underneath where their head hung was wet with scattered drops. He had blond hair that faced the sky, and Reborn found it peculiar. The boy, presumably, flinched when Reborn's tall shadow hovered over him. The sounds of his cries paused, but he once again began to gasp for air through his tears. He didn't look up at Reborn at all, but Reborn could see that he was tensing- expecting some sort of impact._

 _"I'm not going to hurt you." Reborn explained to the hunched over figure._

 _"Y-Yeah right..." The blond boy sobbed out._

 _Reborn thought his response over, concluding that this boy was the victim of some unjust bullying. He then also knew that he should pick his next words carefully. Not wanting to be bothered doing so, Reborn left him alone and sat on a swing quietly._

 _"W-Who are y-you?" The boy stuttered out the question after a few minutes of silence._

 _"I'm moving here soon." Reborn didn't hesitate in his answer or tell him his name. He doubted that the boy was anything to fear but you could never be too cautious._

 _"Oh..." The boy laughed bitterly without humor and sighed. Reborn wondered if he was done sobbing. "It's a shit place. You're going to hate it."_

 _"Everywhere's a shit place and I hate it." Reborn complained, starting to rock gently on his swing. "But I don't cry about it. I've always told myself that 'I'm the best' and 'There's no one like me' and that anyone who disagrees can eat shit." Reborn paused to think. "You're probably not like that. People say bad things to you and you believe them." Reborn shook his head. "But that's not right, if you believe everything everyone says about you - you'll drive yourself mad. You only need to listen to those who uplift and support you, even if you're the only one."_

 _The blond boy didn't move or signal that he was listening...nor did he show that he wasn't listening. Reborn continued, not caring if he had an audience or not._

 _"You have to love yourself unconditionally- through your bad times and your good. Even if there's only bad times. God or whatever you believe in has better plans for you than self loathing, and if you think they don't, then make your own plans. Tell God, or whoever, to eat shit." Reborn concluded, briefly wondering if his position in Hell was already sealed._

 _"O-Okay..." Was all the smaller boy said, his voice cracking badly._

 _Reborn saw that he'd stopped crying, at least for the moment, and was content to leave him like that. He got off the swing and strode out of the park, realizing that he should've asked for the boy's name._

* * *

"I wonder where he is now..." Reborn mumbled to himself, before his eyes flickered closed, taking him into a deep sleep.

* * *

A/N: Ooh, could that have been a date ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)...? Nah, it wasn't. Leave reviews to let me know what you thought of this chapter and make sure you favorite/follow so you don't miss the updates.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey there! Late chapter is late...but it's here nonetheless :) I just couldn't post this chapter if I didn't credit _FifthDayOfMay_. Certain parts of this chapter were heavily inspired by their story ' _Delayed Confessions.'_ Make sure you check it out everyone and enjoy! **

* * *

_The same night that Chapter 2 ended on..._

* * *

Tsuna sat on Haru's bed, out of breath and panting. Haru, however, sat across the bed with a disappointed look on her face.

"So...tell me again what happened?" Haru asked slowly, not sure if she wanted to hear it one more time.

"I said-" And Tsuna re-explained what had happened earlier that night after Haru went home from the cafe. How he'd held hands with Reborn and then practically ditched him.

Haru sighed, and put a stray piece of hair behind her ear. "Sounds to me like you're playing hard to get. Though I don't understand why." She raised an eyebrow at Tsuna, demanding an explanation to her unspoken question.

"You already _know_ why." Tsuna rolled his eyes.

"Right, right, right- the mysterious angel of confidence you met in the park that day!" Haru jumped off the bed and danced around the room dramatically.

Tsuna blushed lightly at the obvious teasing. "Yeah, him." He crossed his arms and pouted in playful anger. "Mock me all you will, but I was never the same after that day. He's the only reason I even had the courage to befriend you and Takeshi." Tsuna reminisced.

Haru tackled him into a hug, both of them falling back onto the bed. "Ah, that's right! My little Tuna was so shy!" Haru backed off of Tsuna and sat again across the bed. She pouted and made her bottom lip quiver. "P-Please...can we be friends?" She then burst into laughter, kicking her legs around wildly and holding her stomach.

"Haru!" Tsuna shouted at her. He only vaguely recalled asking Haru to be his friend, but he didn't doubt that her depiction was accurate. "Fine then, I take it back! I take it all back! We're not friends anymore so you better...um...forget all the secrets I told you!"

Haru's laughter slowed to a stop as she wiped away a tear that wasn't there. "Ok, I'm done geez. You're so dramatic."

Tsuna scoffed at that. " _You're_ one to talk."

Haru sat up and inched closer to Tsuna so that their thighs were touching. "Anyways, I'm just confused is all. You say that you're upholding what you learned that day by rejecting Reborn?" Haru asked, pointing a finger at Tsuna.

"I'm not _rejecting_ him." Tsuna reasoned. "I'm keeping my options open, I don't want to accidentally sell myself short."

"Pfffft!" Haru had to cover her mouth to prevent another outburst of laughter. Tsuna didn't look amused. "But Tsuna, no one else is pursuing you." Haru mentioned.

"I know that..." Tsuna flopped back onto the bed. "But someone might, and what if they're better than Reborn?" Tsuna countered, even though he knew he was being a bit silly.

"Tsuna," Haru gave a heartfelt smile to her friend. "I think you should give Reborn a chance. It seems like he's really interested in you, and if the right person does come along- then you can drop him like a hot potato."

"The same way Kyoko dropped me after she was bullied for dating me? I didn't even know secondhand-bullying was a thing..." Tsuna closed his eyes and tried not to think about that day.

 _"I just can't take it anymore!"_ She'd screamed at him, tears streaming down her face. Tsuna reached out to comfort her, but she'd violently flinched away. That stuck with Tsuna the most. Haru's voice shocked him back to reality.

"That was her loss!" Haru insisted. Tsuna's past reputation had seeped into his and Kyoko's relationship. They'd only been together for a few weeks before it became too much for Kyoko. Haru didn't fault her too much. After all, the news that the infamous 'Dame-Tsuna' had a girlfriend had even spread to her school. Though Tsuna was rarely made fun of anymore, it was apparently still unthinkable for someone to date him. "And that was...different." Haru tried to find the right words but failed.

"That's an understatement." Tsuna laughed weakly. "I'm pretty sure she only dated me out of pity since she knew I'd liked her since elementary." Tsuna opened his eyes and sat back up. "But never mind that, I understand what you're saying Haru." He scooted towards Haru and hugged her tightly. "I'll let Reborn know what I'm feeling once I'm _sure_ of how he feels."

Haru hesitated to hug back, but eventually did so. "Okay...I guess that's the best deal I can get right now, huh?" She smiled when she heard Tsuna chuckle and felt him nod. "Now hurry up and call your mom I'm sure she's worried. You plan on staying here tonight don't you?" Haru assumed.

"Yeah..." Tsuna admitted and let go of Haru, reaching into his pocket to get his phone out. Haru got off the bed and went to her closet, searching for something Tsuna could wear. "Mom? I'm sorry about the late notice, but I'll be staying over Haru's house tonight."

 _"Eh?! Were you followed by a predator and had to throw them off again? Oh, my Tsu-kun..."_ Nana asked, worry clear in her voice.

Tsuna hurried to correct her. "No, no! I just, um, craved a sleepover suddenly." Tsuna lied, mentally promising to tell her the truth later.

 _"You're calling me for permission but it sounds like you've already made up your mind, Tsu-kun. You're growing up so fast!"_ Nana sobbed, though Tsuna could tell she was faking. _"Alright then, have your sleepover."_ She giggled at the idea of highschoolers doing something so childish. _"But I'm warning you, since you're further away from school, you'll have to wake up earlier, okay?"_

"I will mom, and thanks." Tsuna put another hand on the phone, pulling it closer to his ear. "For everything."

Nana smiled, hearing the smile in Tsuna's voice. _"You're welcome, I love you Tsunayoshi."_

Tsuna blushed lightly, he knew his mom meant what she said when she used his full name. "I love you too mom, goodnight."

 _"Goodnight."_

* * *

"Thank you Mrs. Miura, really thank you." Tsuna said to the older woman, who yawned and waved a hand in response. She had just put his uniform in the washing machine and offered to stay up to dry it as well, but Tsuna managed to change her mind.

"It's no trouble Tsuna, you've been putting up with Haru all these years with her..." Mrs. Miura gestured to what Tsuna was currently wearing. "Well, you know."

Tsuna blushed deeply, looking down at the nightgown Haru had given him to wear for the night. He was sure that she had pajama pants, but he was too grateful to the family to complain about anything. "Yes, and it's scary to think that I'm almost used to it now."

Mrs. Miura laughed heartily at that statement and said goodnight, heading up the stairs to her bedroom.

Tsuna and Haru sat in the living room doing a combination of the homework Tsuna forgot he had and chatting about random things until Tsuna's uniform was done washing. Tsuna put it into the dryer, and the two went to bed.

* * *

 _Shhhhh..._

Tsuna awoke to the faint sound of running water. He blinked slowly, becoming conscious of where he was.

"Oh that's right, I slept at Haru's house last night..." Tsuna yawned and wiped his eyes, trying to force them to stay open. He sat up and saw he was on Haru's bed, his back against the wall. This came to no surprise, as that was how they usually slept- in one bed that is. When Takeshi was there, well that was a different story. What _did_ surprise Tsuna was that Haru was not in the bed beside him.

Getting off the bed, he was able to locate the source of the water that had woken him up. Haru's bedroom door had been left open and she was in the bathroom across the hallway, once more with the door open.

"Haru?" Tsuna called out to her, walking towards the bathroom.

"Eeep!" She jumped in surprise, almost choking on the toothbrush in her mouth. She spit out the toothpaste and rinsed her toothbrush under the sink's water. "Geez, you scared me Tsuna. I was just about to wake you up, I'm running late." Haru put her toothbrush in a cup full of similar ones.

"You missed a button." Tsuna pointed out on Haru's uniform's shirt. "Wait, why are you dressed so early?" Tsuna questioned since she was usually late. He was pretty sure that's what he, Takeshi and Haru all truly bonded on.

"Oh really?" Haru turned to look in the mirror and quickly corrected her error. "But I'm not early," Haru giggled to herself, still looking herself over in the mirror. "I'm actually quite la...te." Haru had finally turned to look at Tsuna and saw his gaping mouth and wide eyes.

"Haru...you r-realize that _my_ school...it starts before _yours_ does...?" He stuttered out, sure that he was having a dream- no a nightmare.

"What?" Haru cocked her head to the side. "No it doesn't. _My_ school starts before _yours._ " Haru held her ground.

"No! It doesn't! I know when my freaking school starts Haru!" Tsuna darted down the hallway and down the stairs, seeking the laundry room where his uniform would still be. "Ah, I don't have time to iron it." Tsuna stared at it for a moment, trying to decide if Hibari would be more upset if he was extremely late, but well dressed- or not _that_ late- but with raggedy attire. Sweat drops formed all over Tsuna's head.

"Ah, whatever!" Tsuna shouted to himself and rushed into the bathroom that was already downstairs. When he was done changing, he headed for the front door, planning to leave immediately, however, he was stopped.

"Tsuna, dear, you should eat breakfast before you go." Mrs. Miura prodded him and gestured to Haru and Mr. Miura at the kitchen table, the former of which ate quickly while the latter waved briefly.

"I'm so sorry, I don't have any time. But thank you, thank you, _thank you_ for everything Mrs. Miura! Oh, and you too Mr. Miura!" Tsuna swung open the front door and dashed out quickly, unintentionally slamming the door as he closed it.

A few seconds passed before he came back through and glared at Haru. "Haru, your stupid dress is on the bathroom floor. Make sure your sweet mother doesn't have to pick it up." He said as quickly as possible, before fleeing once again. This time, for good.

* * *

"Stupid...Haa Haa...Fucking...Distances...Haa Haa..." Tsuna panted as he half ran and half jogged. He'd run out of breath a long time ago and he didn't have much energy to begin with. He was forced to take a break when he felt like he'd collapse. "Geez, I need to work out." Tsuna put his arms behind his head as he'd seen Takeshi and other athletes do to catch their breath.

 _I can't believe Haru, she_ _ **knows**_ _that my school starts before hers does._ Tsuna thought angrily as he began to walk a steady pace. He knew he should've set an alarm on his phone, but his eventful day rattled his mind. Tsuna passed what he considered a 'place-marker' from his to Haru's house, a neighbor with flowers hanging over the walls that surround their lot. That meant he was, give or take, 10 minutes away from his house, and therefore, 15 or so minutes from school.

"I don't even want to see how late I am..." Tsuna reached for his phone, but opted not to look at it.

Someone turned a corner sharply, bumping into Tsuna and interrupting his stride.

"Oops, sorry-" Tsuna began, knowing that these things were usually his fault. The person he bumped into felt like a rock and he had to look up to see who it was.

"Someone's on the wrong side of town." A familiar deep voice muttered to Tsuna, who immediately recognized it.

Reborn was staring down at him, like a cat cornering its prey. Tsuna shuddered and got the notion that he'd be doing that a lot more in the future.

Tsuna gave a shy smile. "And someone's late. I always took you for a student who really _cared_ about their education."

"What gave me away?" Reborn snorted. "But you're one to talk, school for you started- what? An hour and a half ago?" Reborn brought his watch to his face and smirked at Tsuna when he saw he was correct.

Tsuna began to sweat nervously, thinking of his impending doom. "I-uh...well I have a perfectly good explanation for that..." Tsuna lied through his teeth.

"Enlighten me."

"I slept in." Tsuna said bluntly.

Reborn brought a fist up to his mouth to shield his laughter. He didn't really expect much better of an answer than that.

"Yeah, yeah, hardy-har-har*." Tsuna mocked him. "I fell asleep at Haru's house and she thought my school started after hers so she didn't wake me up." Tsuna almost pouted, but remembered everything that happened yesterday and instead, blushed. "By the way...I'm sorry about calling off our, arrangement I guess, and not telling you that I'd found a new partner sooner." Tsuna scratched the back of his head, wondering if he made the conversation awkward.

Reborn shook his head. "It's fine, I shouldn't have misplaced your phone number." Reborn mentally cursed, he hadn't meant to reveal that.

"Oh you did?" Tsuna asked, naive of Reborn's mistake. "Here," He extended a hand out to Reborn. "I'll give it to you."

It took Reborn a few moments to actually process what Tsuna was asking for. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. Reborn went to the page where you add new contacts and placed it into Tsuna's hand.

Tsuna typed a few things before handing it back. "There you go, no problem at all." Tsuna's face then showed genuine concern. "Just text me if you ever need me."

Reborn's face didn't show any expression. Instead, he looked down at his phone and began to type a message.

"Um...?" Tsuna said, backing away thinking that the conversation was over. His phone buzzed in his pocket. He looked at Reborn to see a smirk on his face. "Really?" Tsuna pulled out his phone and checked the message:

 _I have an assignment that I could use your help with. Meet me outside of Maid Latte this Saturday._

Tsuna giggled at Reborn's oddity. "Ok, I don't know how much I can help out with an upperclassman's work but I'll try." Tsuna stepped towards Reborn, intending to give him a hug goodbye. _Wait, what am I doing?_

Reborn raised an eyebrow, but then understood what had happened. "See ya, make sure you get the work from the classes you missed." Reborn advised him.

Tsuna 'eep'-ed, having even forgotten that he was in the middle of a crisis. "Yeah, sure thing _mom._ " Tsuna muttered as he waved 'bye' and turned around to walk to school, having to hide his blush and act as if he didn't hear Reborn's response.

"I prefer daddy."

* * *

The week passed by quite uneventfully. Tsuna and Reborn ran into each other occasionally, but usually stuck to texting one another when they could. Tsuna discovered little things about Reborn- his obsession with espresso, his 'lucky' fedora, and he liked to tease. Tsuna had already assumed that last one from previous interactions, but it was now confirmed. He also found out that Reborn was adopted and lived with his adoptive mother and, also adopted, brother. Reborn also had the pleasure of meeting Nana Sawada, Tsuna's mother. She was excited to meet him, but even more excited to bring out the baby pictures. Tsuna was sure that he saw her slip some into Reborn's wallet before he left. Afterwards he had to swear on his life to her that they weren't dating...but he was forced to admit he was interested.

The two could feel themselves getting closer, so much so that Reborn even revealed to Tsuna that 'Reborn' wasn't his real name- though he refused to tell him what it actually was. The date, Saturday, that the arrangement had been set for soon arrived...

* * *

Reborn swiped aimlessly around on his phone, trying to fill the idle time as he waited for Tsuna's arrival. He doubted he'd be stood up, and if he was, he'd go to Tsuna's house and drag him here.

"Hey, Reborn!" Tsuna's familiar voice shouted from quite a distance away. Reborn saw his unique hair popping up and down in the crowd of people as he waved and jumped excitedly.

Reborn tried to suppress it, but smiled nonetheless- a giddy and bubbly feeling in his stomach had forced it out. "Hey." He replied casually, as the brunet came closer to him.

"You're early," Tsuna looked him up and down briefly, taking in his casual attire instead of his usual school uniform. "Or am I late?" He asked, head cocked to the side.

Reborn shrugged and pushed off the wall he'd been leaning on. "A little bit of both." He responded and motioned for Tsuna to follow him. "But let's go somewhere quieter." Reborn led them away from the tourist center into a more secluded part of town that locals enjoyed. It was, or at least known as, a 'smart park'. Essentially a park with outlets and charging tables everywhere. It wasn't very populated at the moment, mainly groups of two huddled together looking at one screen.

Reborn and Tsuna sat down at an empty table in the shade.

"So..." Tsuna began a conversation. "How about that assignment?" He inched closer to Reborn, feeling a little awkward. He still had no idea what they'd be working on today.

"Oh, that's right." Reborn reached into his pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper. Tsuna looked curiously at it and watched Reborn unfold it. The title read 'Advanced Geometry' and it seemed that most of the problems were already solved. Tsuna wasn't sure, but they looked right.

"If you really want my help I'll do my best..." Tsuna muttered to Reborn with uncertainty.

Reborn chuckled a little bit and Tsuna suddenly felt warm and fuzzy inside. He liked that feeling Reborn gave him. "I need you more than you realize," Reborn said while glancing over the problems he'd done, knowing exactly what he'd said and what it was doing to Tsuna. "To help me complete this assignment." He teased.

Tsuna blushed deeply, almost pouting. "Alright, alright, I get it. How can I help you?"

"Well," Reborn pointed to the last problem on the page. "What's 2+2?" Reborn didn't acknowledge Tsuna's confused expression.

"Umm, jeez I don't know that one always gets me." Tsuna feigned ignorance. "2? 6? 4?-"

Reborn cut him off. "Yeah, 4 I think that's it."

"I'm not confident, though."

"It's ok I believe in you."

Reborn wrote a '4' on the last problem and folded the paper back up again. Tsuna stared at him, perplexed. "Wait, what?"

Reborn slipped the paper back into his pocket, and grinned at Tsuna. "Believe it or not, that is the answer. Took a lot to get there, but that part _really_ stumped me." Reborn stood up and stretched. "Well that's over with so let's go." He nodded his head towards the park's exit.

Tsuna raised an eyebrow but stood as well, both beginning to walk out of the park. "What do you mean? Where are we going? What's going on?" Tsuna badgered Reborn with questions, much to his irritation.

"You ask a lot of questions." Reborn frowned at him, grabbing his hand because he knew that'd make Tsuna be quiet. "Just live in the moment."

Tsuna blushed and muttered something that sounded like 'Okay' and 'Whatever.'

Reborn and Tsuna strolled back into the tourist center, with Reborn agreeing to Tsuna's pleas of letting go of his hand. They walked past _Maid Latte_ , popping in to say hello to Haru for a moment but exiting immediately after. The two chatted lightly, but were mostly quiet as they took in the chaotic scenery. People rushed in and out of stores and employees called out to potential customers on the street, yelling about sales and deals. Some people tried to get Tsuna and Reborn's attention, but Reborn would give them a dismissive wave and they would turn their attention elsewhere. Soon, the pair was out of the tourist area and wandered around the neighborhood until they stumbled upon a small festival.

* * *

"Hey, a festival!" Tsuna said excitedly, and raced ahead of Reborn to see what was going on. There were food stalls, games, and a large area where people danced to music and others sat and watched them. "Do you want to hang around here for a bit?" He asked Reborn, who walked up behind him.

"I'm up for whatever you are." Reborn shrugged and slid a hand down Tsuna's lower waist, using it to push him forward towards the festival.

"Ok, then…" Tsuna scanned the area, looking for something that they both might find entertaining. He spotted one he thought they'd both like. "Goldfish scooping it is." Tsuna grabbed Reborn's hand and dragged him over to the stall.

They greeted the man working there and asked for two nets. Tsuna reached into his pocket, attempting to retrieve his wallet but-

"I've got it." Reborn was faster and got his wallet out, handing the man payment for two nets.

Tsuna huffed a little and turned to face Reborn, prepared to protest his net being paid for, but he decided against it. He blushed lightly. "Thanks." He mumbled and took his net from the stall owner.

"Don't mention it." Reborn smiled at Tsuna, who was too busy focusing on the scurrying fish to notice.

* * *

Tsuna lead Reborn around to all sorts of stalls- all of which Reborn paid for if needed. If not, then he'd hold the prizes that Tsuna won and give the ones he won himself to Tsuna (although he held those too). There were so many prizes that Reborn had to buy a tote bag to hold them all properly. The two played ring toss, which resulted in Reborn having a slight bruise on his cheek from one of Tsuna's tosses gone awry. He didn't seem to mind much, or at least had enough strength to "joke" that a kiss from Tsuna would heal it. Tsuna didn't find it very amusing, and instead blushed a deep crimson as they moved on to eat something. Reborn bought fried noodles for himself and a red bean Taiyaki for Tsuna, whilst playing on the fact that 'Tsuna' reminds him of a certain fish. They ate and chatted between bites, watching others dance and play games. Tsuna told Reborn more stories about himself, Takeshi, and Haru and Reborn listened intently, laughing every now and then and truly enjoying himself. Tsuna made him feel like a little kid- giddy for no reason and excited to see what happens next. Also confused, but mostly exited. He couldn't believe things could go downhill so quickly.

* * *

Reborn opened the bag of prizes, momentarily peering in to see all of the childish toys inside. Tsuna shoved a stuffed lion in and Reborn crossed the straps to close it back.

"And that's one more for me, earned by me." Tsuna bragged, literally holding his head up higher than usual.

"Yeah, 12 more of those and we'll be tied." Reborn countered, smirking since he knew he was right.

"Why can't you just let me have my small victories? Why?" Tsuna made a miserable expression. He pretended to gasp to hold back tears.

Reborn raised an eyebrow at the dramatics. "You've been hanging around Haru too much. Besides, that wouldn't be any fun for me."

"W-what?!" Tsuna yelled at him, shocked (but not too shocked) that he was being used for the other's enjoyment. "How could you! I thought we-" Tsuna was cut off by nearby conversation clearly directed at them.

"Isn't that Dame-Tsuna?"

"Huh? Oh yeah it is…but who's that guy? He's so cute!" Two girls squealed, aware that their conversation wasn't private.

"Ew is he friends with Dame-Tsuna, I hope not. Then he'd be ruined, like Kyoko- remember?" One of them put her hand on the other's shoulder and began to snicker, the other following suit.

"Yeah, yeah! I remember she dumped him after what? A freaking week?!" Both girls now howled in loud laughter, bystanders staring to see what was so funny.

Reborn immediately understood the situation and turned to walk towards them, hate in his eyes, but a hand on his shoulder stopped him.

Reborn turned around to see Tsuna hanging his head lowly. Tsuna lifted it and Reborn wanted to scream and hold him tight. The happiness Tsuna's eyes had shown only moments ago had drained away and what was left was only a shell. A weak smile lightened his expression. "Let's go…I want to go home now."

Reborn nodded and turned Tsuna's body away from the girls so that it faced the exit. He turned back once to glare at the girls, but they'd already left.

* * *

The walk to Tsuna's house was quiet. It was nearing evening, about 5 o'clock, so there was some hustle and bustle but not a bothersome amount. Since Tsuna and Reborn walked the neighborhood route, other pedestrians were rare. Tsuna said next to nothing, but Reborn would sometimes look down and see his fists clenched tightly and he'd grab and hold them until they released their tension. The two arrived at Tsuna's house in good time since there weren't any distractions, but when they made it back Reborn sensed an odd feeling in his stomach.

"We're here." Reborn nudged Tsuna, who looked like he would've kept walking if Reborn hadn't said anything.

"Huh? Oh…" Tsuna looked around and relaxed. "Oh ok…"

He didn't move, just kept staring down the road as if he didn't believe that his house was right next to him. Tsuna looked at the ground now, or his feet- Reborn wasn't sure.

"It's just…" Tsuna tried but laughed weakly. "I thought I was over it, ya know? I thought that hearing that…that _name_ wouldn't mean anything to me now and yet-" Tsuna choked back a sob, painfully gasping for air as tears slid to the ground. "And yet I'm like this-" The floodgates opened, so to speak, and Tsuna tried to wipe the tears away as quickly as they came but it was futile.

Reborn brought Tsuna's face into his chest, dropping the bag of toys and wrapping his arms around him. "You're suffering from trauma, it's natural that you can be easily triggered. It's natural and it's ok. It's great even- if it never bothered you then you'd be repressing it, not recovering." Reborn brought Tsuna's face off his chest, tear stains left behind. He held Tsuna's face between his hands, making eye contact with him. "I don't know what you've been through or what you're going through. Maybe I'll never know. But I know you can get through it. It might be in 5 minutes or 5 years but you can do it. I believe in you." Reborn smiled tenderly.

The tears coming from Tsuna's eyes slowed and he sniffled heavily, breaking into a smile of sorts. Reborn released his head and Tsuna wiped more tears away, this time none immediately following after. "Who are you and what have you done with Reborn? Or whatever your name is-" Tsuna joked, trying to change the subject.

"It's Renato." Reborn said plainly. "But that's only for when we're alone."

Tsuna blushed, wondering what Reborn, or Renato, meant by 'alone.' He nodded to show he understood. Blushing deeper, he mumbled. "Thanks for everything today…" He played with his thumbs to avoid looking at Reborn's face in fear of what he was about to do. He gestured for Reborn to lean in close, and when he did- gave him a quick peck on his cheek. Tsuna could've sworn that he saw Reborn blush but he ran away so fast he wasn't sure. "Okaybye!" Tsuna nearly yelled as he left, but his hand was caught and pulled back. "Wah!"

A bag's handles wrapped around Tsuna's hand. "You almost forgot." Reborn whispered in his ear, reveling in how Tsuna blushed when he did so.

"O-Oh, thanks." Tsuna muttered, once again cursing his stutter. "Hope I didn't forget anything else…" Tsuna patted himself down with his free hand.

"Just this." Reborn said, making Tsuna look up and wonder why Reborn was kissing him.

* * *

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